Area-X Review

FINALLY Area-X is released and ready to play! Like X-Note (If you haven't played it yet – you really need too) the game is more about the story and not so much the romance. Not to say there isn't any at all, but if you're the type that likes to see the MC get at least a kiss you may be a little disappointed with this game. None-the-less I would recommend playing it either way – it's a great visual novel!

So... What is Area-X? For those of you who don't know...

“AREA-X - A Time Traveling Otome Game 

In the far future, people live 1000 meters deep underground. Technology is abundant, but life is a constant struggle. An organization sought to end this by sending people back in time to recover lost natural resources. Elcia is one of such people. As a Time Negotiator, it's her job to travel across various dimensions and negotiate with people of the past.

However, in a strange twist of fate, Elcia accidentally stumbled upon an unknown dimension known as "Area-X" during her very first mission. Following its discovery, more bizarre incidents and conspiracies awaited her one after another - all of this eventually led to discovering the uncanny nature of the world and how it all ties to Elcia’s very own mysterious past...
GAME OVERVIEW:
Area-X is a blend between a Visual Novel, a Dating Sim, and an Adventure Game. Follow the story of Elcia as she travels through time and unravels the true nature of her mysterious surroundings. The game spans six chapters, of which you can explore multiple dimensions, complete missions and make choices to determine Elcia's fate.

Developer: Zeiva Inc Production
Spec: Flash, 170 MB, 800×600
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: Teen 13+
Release Date:16 June 2013 ”

Just to warn you, this will probably have a lot more spoilers than my other reviews. 

You play as Elcia. She's young, beautiful, strong willed and a sadist... Yep – that's right, a sadist and boy was it fun to play as her. Elcia is also very special in several ways. First – unlike most Time Negotiator's Elcia is able to stay in other dimensions for a lot longer than most, she also isn't limited to travelling to only one era. Throughout the game you will also discover more and more secrets about her as you play through the different routes but I don't want to give to much away right now.

I started with Belph and if I'm completely honest, before the game was released he was the guy I was least interested in. I didn't actively seek out his path but seeing as you can only choose between him and Yuras until you've completed both of their good and bad routes and I didn't really have a clue what I was doing at first, it just kind of worked out this way.

Belph is a pretty laid back or should I say a 'lazy' guy who spends his free time either playing video games or drinking.

He also attended the same school as Elcia where they caused so much mischief that they got the nick-name “Sadistic duo”. I'll leave you play the game to find out why that is :3.

On Elcia's first day at her new job she finds out Belph will be her operator, they spend a few minutes “strengthening their bond” via jokes and laughter much to Irina's (Elcia's best friend) dismay before Elcia heads out on her first mission. Almost as soon as she reaches her destination Belph makes a joke that a normal person probably wouldn't find funny in that situation (although I thought he was great) then proceeds to talk half-arsed nonsense before leaving her to do her job. By this point I was already enjoying myself. His half-arsed, lazy but witty attitude carries on like this for a little longer until Elcia finally arrives back in her own era.

I don't really want to write to much about the novels story as it might somehow discourage some from actually buying it and that would be a shame, but yeah, Belph's witty attitude really does give him a nice characteristic and you can see that Elcia and him get along quite well.

Belph's bad ending was... I suppose it was a little sad considering how it turns out but I didn't really feel any strong emotion for it. You can see he's doing his best to protect Elcia by sacrificing his own freedom in many ways and still I only felt a tiny bit sorry for him – nothing more.

Belph's good ending however, I found to be really fun, he's still mischievous but you see it in a slightly different light. The bonus ending via sea path I thought was amazingly done. It's a very small chapter but it brought a smile to my face none-the-less. The Sadistic duo are together and making the most of it. They are care-free, having fun and at the same time, making the world a better place. This also has my favourite Belph route CG in it.

Yuras is found in the Ice ages and I think it fits him perfectly. He can appear cold at times as he has very little to say and doesn't usually speak until prompted too. He does however, speak truthfully without hesitation. Yuras is a strong fighter and can dispatch jaguars instantly. The first time Elcia meets Yuras is just the best. Believing her to be dead after a jaguar attack he tries to bury her in the snow. Needless to say, it's quite a funny scene. Even though Yuras doesn't speak much to begin with, you do learn quite a lot about him, his past and his relationship with his family. He's very close to his older sister and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her. I also found it rather cute how, even though Yuras lives in a world filled with snow he doesn't know what a snowman is, referring to it as more of a monster yet he still loves to make them after Elcia introduces them to him.

Yuras bad ending... I think I was too shocked to feel much other than a great deal of sympathy. You do really see a side of Yuras that you don't want to be on the receiving end of. He's pretty brutal.

His good ending I liked seeing his mature side as well as his childish side. He was so adorable here. That's all I can really say without spoiling it to much though :/

Rexus... Ah how I've been waiting to romance you since X-Note. If you played X-Note you will likely be pleased to find Rexus hasn't changed all that much. He can still be found lurking behind objects much like he was with Essi in the park but only this time he has to face Elcia when he's caught. She doen't have a single problem teasing him with her sadistic humour and I loved it when she can make him blush as red as a tomato. The whole scene in ORZ Corporate at the staircase if you're on Rexus good path is the best thing ever!! That tomato faced Rexus really is something I couldn't get tired of swooning over... ahem. Again as with X-Note he tries to act dumb most of the time but Elcia can always see through him easily, telling him repeatedly that he isn't a very good actor. If anyone is wondering, Rexus path really does fit in nicely around his story with Essi from X-Note and it's done in such a creative, unique was I would never have been able to guess it... although maybe I should have been able too... I dunno. Aaaanyway for something I've been looking forward to for quite some time, this route really didn't disappoint. It may have made me go “eh...?” in a few places but it comes together nicely and it was really great to see all the old characters from X-Note too. I still can't believe it was Elcia who made Anon who he is in that novel but I'd really like to thank her for it heh-heh-heh.

I know I just said the route didn't disappoint but I can't truthfully say the same for the endings. I know Zeiva Inc isn't big on the whole happy ever after romance thing but still, I couldn't help hoping for more here, maybe that's because I've been wanting to seduce this red-haired hunk for what seems like ages. That's not to say I didn't like the endings at all – in fact the good ending is very practical... That's not how I'd have imagined describing a good end to a visual novel but there you have it!

We then come to Livan found in the Middle Ages. He's obsessed with painting and refers to a lot of things as if they were paintings. He's a generally nice person and says multiple times how he receives joy from helping people – He even willingly gives a thief his money knowing that they are lying when they say they only steal because they are hungry. I'm always curious about these overly nice types of characters as I'm always expecting them to be secretly evil or something. I was even waiting for him to poison the king while making cookies but they never happens. I'm not entirely sure if I'm actually disappointed or not. Livan's path has a few strange characters such as a king obsessed with cookies to the point where he will end every sentence with the word “cookie” and another man who is obsessed with bears and the word “fabulous”. At the very least, they are defiantly amusing if not a little annoying at times. I'm still not sure what to make of Livan altogether though, because as soon as I started to think “Oh, maybe he is just a generally nice guy” BAM I'm shown otherwise. Where the hell was he hiding that personality? Even knowing this you can defiantly see he cares a great deal for Elcia and he's willing to do whatever he needs too to ensure her safety.

His bad ending I wasn't too surprised by as the events towards the end played out. It really made me feel for Elcia though.

His good ending was... not really what I had expecting and it's nice to be surprised sometimes – this is no exception. It's a very interesting end for a game and I can say I quite enjoyed it even if it isn't the usual type of thing!

Ferim is the fifth and final path in the game. He is located in a place called Area-X. Almost nothing is known about this area and most Time Negotiators that arrive at this place end up there by accident. Ferim originally tells Elcia to call him “Time Manager” as he is the being that transcends time and he is able to oversee all dimensions. Ferim seems to be a complete mystery and is only willing to give the utmost minimal information, encouraging Elcia to figure the rest out by herself. Ferim's path is different from the others as you don't spent your time solely in his era, instead, you spend some time exploring the others eras. Ferim's path feels more like a way to answer any last minute questions and a way to wrap up the game as a whole. Having said this I still think he's well worth the wait. Shortly after my personal most hated mission in the game you get to see what Ferim actually looks like and damn... Why does he feel the need to hide behind that hood? I found him to be the most interesting characters out of the guys as he will sometimes admit to things he probably shouldn't with a straight forward answer and what seems to be pride. All around, he probably is my favourite guy – He's just written so well!! Ferim only has one ending unlike the other guys and it felt more like a reward for finishing the game. It's defiantly what I'd call “bittersweet”.

Overall I quite enjoyed this visual novel. The story through the different paths connected together nicely and Zeiva Inc didn't forget about X-Note either. It wrapped up nicely in each route and by the time I finished the game all my questions were answered quite nicely. There were tones of interesting characters, both old and new and I especially had fun roaming around in the 'Present'. Although now I do feel a little nostalgic and will probably dust of my copy of X-Note for another playthrough pretty soon.

No expense was spared with the beautiful CG's. You can find many throughout the game and they are all very well done. I laughed at some, chocked up on others and swooned a little here and there... >.> Sadly there isn't a gallery in this version but I've read there will be one in version 2.0. The sprites are the same. Zeiva Inc didn't cut any corners. If they needed a new sprite, they just got on with it and made a new one. Even all of the old characters from X-Note got a nice overhaul and while we're on the subject might I just point out that Loil somehow managed to look even eviller even if he is covered from head to toe in pink... them eyes man!

There were some issues I had with the game such as there wasn't (at least any way that I found) an option to skip only read dialogue so I ended up skipping over some stuff I hadn't read before, especially in Yuras' path because I couldn't for the life of me get his good ending for ages and this just made me even more frustrated having to go back and read most of a chapter again.

I also think the face that you have a play through both the good and bad endings of Belph and Yuras path before you could move on to Rexus and Livan might annoy some people. I personally didn't have a problem with it. If that's how someone wants you to play their game then so be it. But I still wouldn't be that surprised if some people have a mini nerd rage over it.

Before I finish up, I'd just like to thank Zeiva for making yet another amazingly beautiful story – It really has inspired me to try and improve my writing skills!

So... would I recommend this visual novel? Absolutely! If you're not convinced, you can check out the demo and make your mind up from there. The full version can be bought from the official Zeiva Inc website too.